The Thinking Porch
by LuvzAfunEthing
Summary: My take on what could happen in certain scenes of eppy sixteen, the magical one. This contains SPOILERS. Please RR, because it makes me want to do cartwheels.


Disclaimer: I don't own _Gilmore Girls_…I never have…So, why do they keep sending me the bill for their craft service table?

A/N: This fic is based on SPOILERS…I'm fore-warning ya….If you continue to read and are a spoiler virgin, then I shall not be held accountable for the loss of your "flower."

A/N 2: Shout-outs to my girls, **AudiRox **and **gilmoregirl1979**…You made me want to write again…You always do…You are my muses…Muses…not Mooses...So, stop trying to head-butt people with your pretend antlers.

Title: **_The Thinking Porch_**

The Diner is dimly lit. Luke stands behind the counter rifling through a pile of receipts. The stack is smaller than usual. This is probably because gossip is a _religion_ in Stars Hollow, and every devout follower had done his or her part to make sure news of Luke's fiery temper and secret desire to become a bouncer named Bruno, had spread like wildfire throughout the town.

Luke lets out a loud sigh and tosses the receipts on the counter. He opens the cash register, surveying the scant amount of profit for the day. Another sigh escapes from him. Just then there is a knock at the door. He looks up to a sight which is completely unexpected.

Emily Gilmore.

She stands outside in a fancy overcoat, clutching a purse in her hands, which most likely cost more than a respectable down payment for a three bedroom house in Stars Hollow. Luke walks around the counter and unlocks the front door. They stare at each other for a couple of seconds before he breaks the silence.

"Mrs. Gilmore," he states with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

She subtly looks him up and down before responding.

"Hello, Luke…Would you mind if I came in?"

"Uh…I was just closing up….Are you looking for Lorelai?"

"No…Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"Me?" he responds as though someone has just told him that he had been named "Best Dressed" by Mr. Blackwell.

She nods. "Yes…May I come in?"

Luke looks around the Diner and sighs. "Yeah…I guess."

Emily walks towards the counter and chooses one of the stools. She sits on it as though it is a perch. Even in a diner she finds a way to position herself higher than anyone else in the room. She sets her purse on the counter. She scans her surroundings, even the ceiling.

"I haven't been here in awhile…I see not much has changed," she says with that ever present air of condescension. Even if it is not always intended, it is always there.

"Nope…Probably not," Luke replies. He walks behind the counter and faces her. His patience is already starting to wear thin.

"It has quite an interesting atmosphere…Almost-"

Luke cuts her off. "If you say _rustic_, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Pardon me?"

"Never mind," Luke says as he shakes his head.

She begins to remove her leather gloves, almost a sure signal to him that she has the intention of staying more than just a few minutes.

"Anyway, Luke….I didn't come here for small talk."

A half smile appears on his face. Maybe even a smirk. "Great…Because I've never been really good at that," he adds as he crosses his arms on his chest.

"Let me get to the point…It's been brought to my attention that Lorelai and you are no longer together."

He nods. "I see…I'm sure you're not losing any sleep over it."

"Hardly…However, the problem is Lorelai refuses to see or speak to me."

Luke squints. "Uh huh…That might have something to do with inviting Christopher to the wedding andtelling him that he still had a shot with her."

Emily looks him straight in the eyes. "I was only doing what I thought was best."

Luke shakes his head. "I bet…Look, I don't understand what this has to do with me…Lorelai and I aren't together anymore…You got what you wanted," he asserts matter-of-factly.

Emily looks down. Mostly likely this is not out of guilt. Emily Gilmore does not "do" guilt. But, maybe this time…

"Perhaps," she says quietly, "But it came at the expense of losing my only daughter and possibly Rory too."

"Rory?" he asks because he seems genuinely curious what Rory has to do with all of this.

"Yes…She made it clear that she is very disappointed in me and angry that I apparently hurt Lorelai a great deal." This comes out in typical Emily Gilmore fashion—The complete inability to grasp why Lorelai is so miserable and why any of this is her fault.

"Well…Rory loves her mother," Luke replies.

"Yes, she does…She's _extremely_ loyal to her too," Emily inserts, almost as if she is disappointed in her attempt to sway Rory to _her_ side.

"Yep…She is." He knows this for a fact. Rory will always be in Lorelai's corner.

"And it is obvious that Rory is loyal to _you_ too," Emily says, seemingly bewildered by what she thinks is the absurdity of this.

"What?"

"She gave me a laundry list of your best qualities."

"She did?"

Emily nods. "She also said that you made Lorelai happy." She practically chokes on these words.

Silence again. Emily shifts on the stool before speaking.

"Luke, you must understand my position...Lorelai and you come from entirely different backgrounds…There are so many things that I want for she and Rory…Things that I believe you would be hard-pressed to provide them with….You have to know that….You have to see why it makes more sense for Lorelai to be with Christopher."

"Lorelai can be with whoever she wants…We're not together anymore."

"That may be the case, but I believe she would _rather _be with you." She rolls her eyes at the thought of this.

Luke grows more and more uncomfortable with the direction this conversation is going.

"Mrs. Gilmore-"

She interrupts him. "Let me finish….I was trying to look out for their best interests…I didn't realize how much I would lose in the process…She chose _you_ over her father and me…She was willing to break all ties because of what I did to you….to the both of you…I lost her once before…I can't lose her again…I can't lose my granddaughter either…I'm not sure if I will ever be able to accept you as the best possible man for Lorelai…But…If you two are together, I will do my best to never interfere in your relationship again."

Luke appears shocked by what Emily has just admitted…pledged…whatever…But all he can manage to say is, "We broke up."

Emily nods. "I know."

Luke looks at her and shrugs. "Then, _none_ of this matters anymore."

Emily sighs. She seems irritated with Luke's lack of comprehension.

"Luke-_If _you are the man whom Rory painted you as…_If_ you are the man whom Lorelai was willing to give us up for…Then I'm certain that you and she still have a chance," she states, still unable to believe that he is the man whom Rory and Lorelai make him out to be, but nonetheless the man whom Lorelai has chosen.

"And you would be okay with her picking me over Christopher or _any_ other guy for that matter?"

Emily shakes her head. "I've never understood Lorelai…I've never understood _why _she likes the things she likes…_why _she does the things she does…But if there is _one _thing I do know about her, it's that when she makes up her mind about something, there is _NO _convincing her otherwise."

Emily pauses, gets up and starts to put her gloves back on, a sure sign that she is finally ready to leave-a sign that she seems to feel like she has said everything that _needed _to be said. She picks up her purse and looks at Luke before adding, "I'll let you get back to closing up your diner…Think about what I said…Goodbye, Luke."

"Bye," he responds as she walks out the door, leaving him with only his thoughts and a very thin stack of receipts.

2. (Later that Night)

Lorelai, who a few hours before had put on a brave face during her Girls Night Out with Sookie, sits on her couch, exhausted from her efforts to prove to Sookie that she could still have some fun. She flips through the channels on TV.

She lets out a sigh of disgust. Nothing good is on. Nothing good is _ever_ on _anymore_. She turns the television off and grabs a magazine from the coffee table. She looks at the cover and reads aloud to the empty house, "_Five Ways to Make Him Yours Forever_….Hmm…I bet none of the five involve a certain drink with a tiny worm in it and an ex-boyfriend who is also the father of your child….Ah…Look…What a surprise….Number 1… 'Always be honest with your man, even if you think he doesn't need to know'….Okay…Where the hell was this magazine when I needed it?...No…Instead I read one with ten ideas on how to make your lips as huge as Angelina Jolie's…Now I have no boyfriend AND my lips are still recovering from seven of the ten ways."

Lorelai throws the magazine on the couch and stands up. She walks over to the window and is startled to see someone on her porch. It's Luke. He's sitting on the steps with his back turned away from the house. A look of confusion washes over her face. She grabs a sweater, puts it on, and slowly opens the front door. Luke turns around at the sound of the opening door.

"Luke…How long have you been sitting out here?" She asks as she shuts the door behind her and crosses her arms.

"Bout an hour," he replies as he looks forward again.

Lorelai stands there, even more confused. "Uh huh…What are you doing?"

Luke gestures. "_This_…sitting…and thinking."

"On my front porch?"

"Yeah," he says, as if it is something he does all the time.

Lorelai motions towards the house. "You didn't want to come in?"

"No…I was busy."

"Right…right…with all that…sitting and thinking."

Lorelai gets the impression that he would rather be alone, even if he is on _her _porch. She gestures towards the door.

"Okay…Well…I'll be inside if you need anything…Food…Water…A new thinking cap when you wear that baby out," she rambles as she goes to open the door.

"You don't have to go…unless you want to," he calls after her.

A half smile appears on Lorelai's face. Maybe she wanted him to say this very thing.

"Okay," she responds as she takes a seat next to him. She looks at him. He doesn't look back. He only stares out onto her lawn.

Silence. Luke sighs, still refusing to look at her. She seems disheartened by this.

"I never realized how far you can see from your porch on a clear night," he says quietly, ending the silence.

Lorelai seems to perk up at Luke's attempt at _small talk_. She nods. "Yeah…Some days it's all the way to Ma Maple, that huge tree Kirk got stuck in when he tried to rescue Ida Merriweather's imaginary cat."

Luke shakes his head. "I never understood _why _he did that…I mean…There _was _no cat."

Lorelai looks at him and smiles a little. "He was trying to humor old Ida…Plus, he wanted to impress the other volunteer firefighters...He needed to earn some credibility back after he accidentally set their uniforms on fire."

Luke's willingness to talk to her, even if it was just about one of Kirk's crazy conundrums, gave her the courage to push the conversation somewhere a bit more personal. "So…um…Whatcha thinking about?"

"How grateful I am that Kirk got kicked off the squad."

Lorelai shakes her head. "No…I mean…" She stops, unsure if she should go any further. They haven't spoken much lately. Hardly spoken at all.

Luke realizes what she is really asking about. "Oh, that."

"Yeah, that…unless you don't want to tell me…which is fine."

Still not looking at her, he admits, "I walked here to talk to you, but when I got to your front porch, I realized I still didn't know what I was going to say….So, I sat down…and it's been an hour…and I still have no idea."

"Oh…Well, if you need more time, I can go back inside and pretend you're not out here…and you can take all the time you want…Although, I'll probably be going to bed soon, but if I _am_ in bed when you're ready, you could always throw a stone at the window to get my attention…Wait…Scratch that…You might actually break the window…and then you'd have to fix it, and that's really more work for you…well, unless you hire somebody to do it…which you would never do…cuz…"

"Lorelai."

She looks down. "I know…I'm babbling…I just…I don't…I think I'm gonna go back inside."

"No," he says quietly, and then looks at her for the first time since she came out onto the porch. It's so abrupt, it startles her.

"No?" she asks with a hint of hope in her voice.

"No," he repeats and suddenly finds his shoes very fascinating.

"Okay…Then I'll stay right here." Lorelai looks out onto the lawn again, but glances out of the corner of her eyes to see if Luke is preparing to speak.

Luke's hands start to fidget, and he sighs softly. "I didn't want this to happen."

"What?...Me interrupting you?" She inquires, still unable to follow his train of thought this evening.

Luke shakes his head and gestures. "No…_This_…Breaking up."

"Oh." It's barely audible. Maybe her relief has quieted her voice.

Luke looks down and then at her. "I just…I needed time to think…I thought that I could clear my head if I didn't see you for awhile…Then we were at Doose's, and you asked me to tell you what I was thinking right then…and I did."

Lorelai closes her eyes and shakes her head. "I know…I shouldn't have pushed you."

"Lorelai, I was an idiot…I didn't want to break up…I shouldn't have said that…I just kept thinking about Christopher and your parents and everything that happened…I didn't know what to do…I mean…I just…I waited a long time for this…and then it happens…and I think everything is working out…and then it dawned on me that for as good as things were between us, you still might someday go back to Christopher because he's Rory's father…and that's what your parents would want."

She places her hand on his arm. "Oh, Luke…That's not gonna happen," she says with the same tone of certainty she had that morning at Doose's when she said she wanted them to have a "middle," not just an ending.

He looks at her. He pivots his body in her direction. "But, how do I know that?...What if you change your mind someday?...What if you decide you'd rather be with him?...I couldn't go through that, Lorelai…I couldn't lose you." He sounds scared. Frightened even.

Lorelai tilts her head to the side and then turns to face him. "Luke, listen to me…You are _not_ going to lose me…When I said I was "all in,' I meant it…I know it might have come later than it should have...but still…I meant it…As far as my parents and Christopher are concerned, I don't give a damn what they want or what they do…It doesn't matter…I made my mind up about this…about us…and when I make up my mind about something, nobody can change it."

Luke smiles at this, perhaps remembering what Emily had mentioned earlier. He looks Lorelai in the eyes. He says hesitantly, "So, if I wanted to try this again, you would still be in?"

Lorelai smiles. It is probably the biggest smile that she has worn since the smile she flashed him during her parents' vow renewal. "Yes…But, this time we both have to be honest about _everything_…and not leave when things start to get a little less than fun."

Luke smiles back at her and picks up her hand with his. "Okay…I'll agree to that."

Lorelai laces her fingers with his and responds. "Me too…So…Hey, how bout we go inside now?…I'm sure the "thinking" porch has had its fill tonight...helping you ponder…It's dozing off."

Lorelai prepares to stand up, but Luke tugs her back down. "Hey," he says softly. She looks at him. She may never have seen him with this serious of an expression on his face before.

"What?" she asks curiously.

He stares at her for a second. It seems like an eternity. He holds her hand tightly, looks down at it, and then into her eyes. "I…um…I love you," he says, because it's finally the right time for him to say it.

Lorelai gasps ever so slightly. It's soft and barely noticeable. A small smile plays on her lips and her eyes start to tear up. She stares into his eyes. "I love you too" she says, because it's finally the right time for _her _to say it.

She leans in and kisses him. They have not kissed in what seems like forever, and this is apparent because _this _kiss lacks nothing in the passion department and would put an Old Movie kiss to shame.

Lorelai pulls back and sighs with her eyes closed. "I really missed you, Luke."

Luke smiles and teases, "Ah…You just missed my coffee."

Lorelai nods. "Right…right…just your coffee." Both of them stand up. They are still holding hands. Lorelai sniffles a little.

Luke gestures towards the house. "Let's go inside."

"K," she says and they walk to the door, holding hands. Luke leans against the door frame as Lorelai turns the doorknob.

"Um," she says with perplexity in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Luke asks concerned.

Lorelai pauses a minute, starts to giggle, and looks at him. "Why don't we go to your place?" she asks as she tugs at his arm.

"Why?" he says confused.

"Well…umm….We're locked out," she says and then starts to laugh.

He can't help but laugh with her. She puts her arms around his neck and kisses him again.

The porch was fine for now.

The End.


End file.
